Call of Duty Blackout Beta Dates & Times – PS4, Xbox One & PC

The latest instalment from the Call of Duty franchise is just around the corner. With two weekends of the Multiplayer Beta under out belts, the COD fanbase, myself included, cannot wait for the Black Ops 4 Blackout Beta to go live.

Blackout, for those who may be unaware, is Treyarch’s take on the widely popular ‘Battle Royale’ genre. A game type which pits players or teams against others in an ever-shrinking map, world or arena. It’s like Hunger Games meets King of the Hill, with everyone fighting to be crowned the victory and to be the last man/team standing. The most popular currently in the genre include Fortnite and PUBG. But Call of Duty wish to establish themselves in this market, and it all starts with the Blackout Beta.

This electrifying and high-action take on the Battle Royale mode is sure to stand out with the features and additions the title boasts to have. This will, of course, be covered in more depth when the Blackout Beta goes live, but for now, there are still some details to get excited over.

Large map – is has been estimated although not proven, that the map will be similar in size to that of Fortnite. Based on a video by Drift0r (found here) the size of the Blackout map could be between 4.5 and 7.2 km^2. These dimensions were worked out on the premise that the new map in the Blackout Beta (and full release) is 1,500 x that of Nuketown. This information was stated by @DavidVonderhaar himself. Although I’m sure this was intentionally vague and arbitrary.

Limited lobby size – In game files do provide slots for 100 players. This would be synonymous with the classic Fortnite lobby size. But, for now, it is assumed that the 100 player slots were just for development and testing purposes and that full amount/ player limit could be between the 60 and 70 range. This is all based on optimisation and engine /server performance. So anyone playing the Blackout Beta will be part of the ‘stress test’ and lobby size may be different in the final released iteration.

Vehicles – A fun and a free-flowing way to traverse this map. Again, specifics have not been provided but we do know from the trailer that there appear to be 4×4 vehicles, helicopters, quad bikes and potentially speedboats!

Parts of old maps, weapons, characters – Blackout will contain “10 years worth of the Black Ops sub-franchise”. To elaborate, it is meant that we will get a combination of previous map, fan favourite weapons and even old and classic characters to play as. Although exact details are still to be determined.

Solos, Duos, Quads – Whether you wish to play in your own, with a buddy or in a group. Blackout will support all styles of play with a range of modes. Each game-type will require a different approach and allow new ways to attack the map and win that game.

Call of Duty Blackout Beta Dates & Times

Treyarch, the developers of Blackout and Black Ops 4 have provided us with some details regarding the Blackout Beta. As tweeted via @Treyarch the Blackout Beta will officially begin on the September 10th. This will initially be a Private Beta and so in order to gain access, you must pre-order a copy of the full Black Ops 4 title (digital or physical).

For PC users who have or may pre-order Call of Duty – Black Ops 4, the Blackout Beta (Private) will start September 14th at 10 AM PT. For all other PC users, the Open Beta will start on September 15th at 10 AM PT, the only requirement is that you have a Battle.net account.

The Xbox One Blackout Beta will also be live on September 14th. Again, only for those who have pre-ordered a copy of the game, either digital or from a retailer.